Student parking made easy

By Gus Bode

Navigating through the labyrinth of parking lots at SIUC can be a maddening experience, but students will find things go smoother if they understand how the system works.

SIUC Parking Division Administrator Brian Mager said he is anticipating the University will issue between 9,000 and 10,000 parking permits to students.

There are approximately 11,400 parking spaces on the SIUC campus with about 9,200 spaces reserved for students, visitors and service vehicles; the remaining 2,200 are for faculty and staff.

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Commuter students will be issued a red sticker that will authorize them to park in lots identified by a sign displaying a red square.

Students living on campus will be issued a white overnight sticker. This permit authorizes students who live at Thompson Point to park in lots 23 and 59 and students living at Brush Towers to park in lots 45 and 106.

Parking stickers are good for a year and will cost $35. The cost declines progressively if it is purchased later in the school year. Parking violations will result in a $35 ticket.

Freshman and sophomore commuters who are under 21 will be required to park in either lot 18 or 56 near the SIU Arena. They will be issued yellow stickers and, while they will still be required to register to get the stickers, there will be no fee. Saluki Express will run a shuttle service that will stop at the yellow lots four times per hour and will loop around Lincoln Drive from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Students with red, yellow or white stickers can park in any student parking lot between 4 p.m. and 2 a.m.

Most of the questions students ask could be answered if they read the signs that are posted in the parking lots, Mager said.

“I wish students would become more familiar with the rules and regulations,” he said.

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Students need to be sure not to park in visitor parking lots between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Visitor lots are off-limits to students, faculty and staff, even if the vehicle has no parking sticker. SIUC police can check the license plates to see if the vehicle is registered to a student, faculty or staff member and will issue a ticket, Mager said.

Students should also keep an eye out for parking lots designated with a blue square. These lots are reserved for faculty and staff and are never open to students.

Permits are issued at the Parking Division office in Building B at Washington Square. A satellite office at the north lower level entrance in the Student Center will be open Monday through Friday during the first week of school and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the rest of the year.

Students also have the option of purchasing a permit to park in lots owned by the city. The city has 23 parking lots with more than 1,400 parking spaces. Parking meters must be paid between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Carbondale Revenue Officer Chuck Vaught said the city is flexible and will work with students to issue a permit for a parking lot that works with the student’s needs. A permit costs $12 per month, but students may also purchase permits tailored to the length of time they will need, such as for the length of a semester.

Vaught said the parking division in the Carbondale Civic Center will have special hours on Saturday Aug. 10 and Saturday Aug. 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in addition to the normal business hours 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. during weekdays.

Vehicles parked in city lots will not be ticketed if left overnight, but to ensure the streets are clear for cleaning, parking on the street between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. is prohibited and will result in a ticket.

The fine for an expired meter is $3 if paid within the following 48 hours, but if the ticket is not paid within 13 days the fee goes up to $12.

Parking in a handicap space will draw a $100 fine. All other parking violations will result in a fine of $7 if paid within the first 48 hours increasing to $15 if not paid after 13 days.

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